


He is like the ocean

by Cadoan



Series: The Spy and the Scoundrel [1]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Emotions, Emotions Without Plot, Feels, Light Angst, M/M, Mathias has feels and doesn’t know how to deal with them, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Rare Pairings, introspective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 21:23:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21125471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cadoan/pseuds/Cadoan
Summary: Mathias and Flynn has something, but Mathias isn’t sure what.





	He is like the ocean

**Author's Note:**

> So I also seem to have a lot of feels about Mathias, Flynn and the two of them together. 
> 
> This is dedicated to Sed, whose Fairshaw fic set in their fic universe “Across Enemy Lines” inspired me to finish this fic. If you haven’t read that, you really should.

Mathias always slept with one eye half open. There were many things life as an undercover operative taught you, and always being on your guard was one of them. Therefore, when he woke up in the middle of the night, he was instantly on guard. He scanned the room around him, as he instinctively reached for one of his daggers placed within arm’s reach on the bedside table, but noticed no immediate danger. Soft moonlight shone through the porthole, bathing the cabin in a silver glow. 

When Mathias couldn’t hear anything to be on on edge for and the adrenaline rushing through his body started to ebb away, the world around him started to filter back in; the creaking of wood, the distant call of a seagull, the soft rolling lull of the ship.

He was, of couse, still on the Wind’s Redemption in Boralus Harbour. SI:7 operatives were, also of course, watching over the ship day and night, making sure that only the people who should be made it on board. He knew that he had nothing to fear, as he trained his operatives to the highest of standards, but this was still not friendly territory. The Alliance and the Kul Tirans were now allies, but he knew that allegiances could change with the ease of a leaf blowing in the wind. He had spent most of his life serving The Alliance and a constant awareness of his surroundings, and the people in it, was something he couldn’t help. It’s what his rigorous training had beaten into him, and well... old dogs and new tricks. 

He propped himself up on his elbows, rolling his head. His neck cracked unpleasantly and he grimaced. He definitely wasn’t getting any younger. 

A soft snoring sound to his left made him look in the direction of the sound.

It had been a long time since he had shared his bed with someone.

Pirate scoundrel Flynn Fairwind of Kul Tiras, was sleeping soundly in the bed next to him. Mathias studied the man, who was facing away from him, for a while. His long, auburn hair was free of the small length of leather that normally tamed it, so the long strands flowed out on the pillow his head was resting on. His neck was wide, shoulders broad and back muscular. Even in this resting state you could see how strong he was. Freckles stood out against the pale skin, scattered unevenly as if the skin had been kissed by the salty water of the sea and left marks in its wake.

He truly was built for the life at sea, so different than Mathias’ leaner, more agile frame. Mathias clicked his tongue softly. Not even when Mathias had been Flynn’s age would had he been able to physically measure up to the man, but then size was rarely an advantage in his line of work. Also, he would never admit such a thing to Flynn. The pirate would be unbearably happy about Mathias even thinking such a thing, and Mathias sure didn’t want to give him that sort of gratification.

Mathias let his eyes wander lower, down to the other man’s hip, where the blanket had slid down to allow for just a small bit of toned glutes to be shown. Soft snoring came from the man, and Mathias realised he was a bit jealous of Flynn’s ability to sleep so soundly, so deeply. Flynn seemed to be able to fall asleep anywhere, sober or not. It was an ability any SI:7 operative also had, but that was always a restless sleep, only enough to give the body enough to keep on going.

Mathias eventually sat up in bed and rubbed his hands over his face. His stubble scratched his calloused palms and he made a mental note of needing to shave the next day. With the moon still shining so strongly, there had to be many hours until the harbor woke up, despite the very early hour the trading started back up. Mathias sat in silence for a while, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his forehead against his arms, just listening to the sounds around him. There was, of course, the creaking of the ship and the soft sound the water made as it moved around the hull. A seagull screeched in the distance yet again. After having sat still for a while, Mathias slid out of bed, moving silently and carefully so as to not wake up the other man in the room. He pulled on his undergarments, his leather trousers and his linen shirt, and of course sheathed his knives. You could never be too careful. Then, he looked back at Flynn again, still soundly asleep, before he unlocked the door to the captain’s quarters and stepped outside. 

Outside and up on the deck, he looked up at the moon. It was setting, slowly but surely. It hung almost alone in the sky, only accompanied by a few clouds. Mathias swept his eyes over the horizon - what he could see of it anyways, with most of it covered by ships, masts, sails and Boralus herself. He looked upwards, at the ship’s crow’s nest, and signaled that everything was okay to the operative he knew was there, but couldn’t be seen. He also turned and looked at a roof nearby, and signaled the operative that was stationed in the shadows of the awnings. He walked over over to the side of the boat and rested his arms on the bulwark. These Kul Tiran ships were different than the ones the Stormwind Fleet used - made from a different kind of wood, ornated with unfamiliar, intricate designs. He missed the simplicity of the Stormwind design. He knew that, every nook and cranny. Safe. He had been all over Azeroth and beyond, but the gold and blue always made him feel a bit more at home.

Mathias heard the doors to the captain’s quarters opening behind him, and then close again. He could hear the footsteps of the man approaching him, but he didn’t turn around. He kept looking forwards. A few moments later, Flynn was in his peripheral vision, also looking out at the water. 

”Trouble sleeping?”

Mathias glanced over at the other man before answering. 

”I suppose you could call it that.”

He could see Flynn thinking about how to respond to that, but then decided to not push the matter any further. Flynn turned around and rested his elbows on the bulwark, leaning casually against it. Or, at least trying to look casual. 

“The air smells different here,” Mathias said to no one in particular, drawing in a deep breath. 

Flynn was silent for a moment before he responded. 

“Different to where?”

Mathias thought about Stormwind. Both Stormwind and Boralus were seaside cities but they smelled very different. The salt in the air was there, but the wooden docks and dockside market of Boralus smelled very different to Stormwind’s cobbled streets and canals. 

”Home.”

He could feel Flynn’s eyes on him, and when Mathias felt a large warm hand against his elbow and a ”Come back to bed,” he complied. He wanted nothing more.

When the captain’s cabin door closed behind him, Flynn guided him towards the bed. Those large, warm hands, calloused like Mathias’ own but from hauling rope instead of holding daggers, slipped inside his clothes. Mathias welcomed the touch, felt himself melt into it in a way he thought he had forgotten how. Flynn pulled Mathias’ shirt off, throwing it carelessly to the side. Mathias made a mental note of where it landed, in case he would have to put it on in a hurry.

“Hey, stay with me.” 

Flynn put his hand on the back of Mathias’ neck, his thumb massaging small circles into a tense muscle. Mathias leaned into the touch subconsciously, and Flynn smiled. He hummed to himself before he let go of Mathias to pull his own shirt over his head. He threw that to the side as well, before he took the half step forward needed to close the distance between the two of them. 

Flynn did all things with the force and intensity of the ocean, and Mathias had early on realised that he had encountered someone who could keep up with him. He had resisted the pull of Flynn for as long as he could, but like the tide it had seemed inevitable. He still thought it silly, being the master of all assassins, a spy who had information that could topple whole kingdoms, and be so completely swept away. 

He didn’t like admitting it, but he too was only human. 

Flynn kissed him hungrily, and as always, Mathias found himself matching it, wanting to match it. Flynn’s hands were roaming over his body and his own hands were tangling in that long, salt coarse hair. Their tongues coiled and lips meshed as Mathias started walking backwards, pulling Flynn with him towards the bed. When the back of his legs his the edge of the bed, he disentangled himself from Flynn and got in. The sheets were still warm. Flynn took of his pants before he crawled in after Mathias, a hungry look in his eyes. Mathias let his head fall back against the pillows as Flynn moved to hover over him, looking down with glittering eyes. They just looked at each other for a moment before Flynn leaned down to press a hot, open mouthed kiss to Mathias’ neck. Mathias moved his hand to undo his pants, but Flynn’s quickly covered his, stilling him.

“Let me do that,” Flynn murmured into his ear, sending shivers down Mathias’ spine. He let his hands fall, resting on the mattress instead. When Flynn started kissing his way down his chest at the same time he undid Mathias’ pants, Mathias’ eyes slid close. A ball of anticipation started forming in his lower stomach as Flynn moved downwards. Mathias was exposed to the night air now, but Flynn ignored the proof of his desire. Instead, the pirate was pressing kisses to his hip, tonguing a scar that marred the tender skin.

“Is it one of those nights?” Flynn spoke against his skin, and Mathias simply nodded into the silence. He had no idea if Flynn has seen his response, but he supposed it didn’t matter. Flynn seemed to have a knack for knowing those things. He let his hands find their way into Flynn’s hair and when Flynn swallowed him down, he saw stars.

For a few precious moments, the world around him melted away. When he was in bed, spread out for Flynn, or Flynn spread out for him, there was no war. There was no struggle to establish footholds in enemy territories and there was no looming threat of old gods on the horizon. There was only the two of them and the captain’s quarter around them.

Mathias buried his face in a pillow and gave a long, deep moan as Flynn pressed back inside of him for the second time that night. When the pirate was fully inside of him, like a knife in its sheath, Mathias drew in a deep breath. Flynn’s hands were at his hips, pulling him, positioning him. Then, after Flynn started moving behind him, inside of him, it didn’t take long before they chased down that release with muffled shouts - Mathias into the pillow, Flynn into the back of Mathias neck.

/

They weren’t sure when this had actually crossed a line into something more than acquaintances currently on the same side of the massive Alliance war effort. Although, that wasn’t entirely true. Mathias was nothing but perceptive, that was for sure, and he probably knew that Flynn was pursuing him before Flynn knew himself. Flynn was a flirt with a big grin, no filter between brain and mouth and went for what he wanted. Mathias had spent most of his time rolling his eyes at the pirate, and he was sure that the pirate’s interests would soon shift away from him. But they never did, and a fondness Mathias hadn’t felt for very long had started growing into something large and indescribable. If Mathias has noticed Flynn pursuing him before he noticed it himself, Valeera had noticed Mathias’ emotions for the scoundrel Kul Tiran before Mathias had even put them into words for himself. On a mission far, far away from both Boralus and Stormwind, deep into enemy territory, Valeera had spoken to him. “Life is short Shaw,” she had said with a pointed look at Mathias. “It doesn’t have to only be suffering.” She had paused, as if unsure how to word the next part, before she finally said “If you find someone to share that burden with, don’t keep them at arm’s length.”

Mathias had feigned ignorance, but he saw that cheeky grin and those large warm hands before his inner eye when she had spoken. 

/

They didn’t know what word to put to what they were, so they had never discussed it. A welcome distraction from monotony and stress? An inappropriate tryst? Lovers? Mathias stayed far away from thinking too much about such things. You never knew how long you would live in his line of work, and every mission he went on could be his last.

The appropriate operatives inside 7th Legion and SI:7 naturally knew, so as to be able to keep the safety and security up to snuff. Strictly on a need to know basis. What they were only existed at night, during those hours of the day where time stood still, where it seemed like the whole world was asleep.

Mathias knew otherwise strange relations arose during wartime, relations that could not otherwise be explained. In a way, the truly scary part lay ahead.

/ 

Both their bodies were marred by scars, alike but still different in nature. Flynn’s were long and broad, from sables used by cutthroats just like him; or scattered pockmarks left over from scattershots.

Mathias’ were thinner; slashes from knives, or knots of scar tissue - stabbings and assassination attempts. 

During the days and weeks, Mathias were busy planning and strategising to make sure The Alliance war campaign wheels kept turning. More often than not, Mathias was away from Boralus, gathering information and carrying out missions he could only trust himself with. When he headed back to Boralus, there was always this little nagging fear of what he would return to. He’d scold himself for coming to rely on another person like this, because he knew that one day, Flynn wouldn’t be there waiting for him. 

So far though, the pirate had been waiting for him every time he got back, with a cheeky grin and ice blue eyes that held so much promise of adventure. Mathias felt both 10 years younger and 10 years older in Flynn’s company.

During the nights in Boralus, they mapped each other’s bodies with hands and mouths. 

/

The night was once again enveloping Boralus in darkness. The small rickety bed barely fit them both, and it creaked dangerously under their combined weight. The dingy little apartment Flynn was holed up in was tucked away in a nondescript corner of Boralus, perfect and anonymous. 

Mathias buried his face in the back of Flynn’s neck, breathing harshly through his mouth. Flynn moaned brokenly as Mathias moved his hips back and forth, sliding perfectly in and out of him. Flynn arched backwards into Mathias, who had one arm wrapped around his front, the other one gripping his hip. Flynn was so hot and tight around him, it was maddening.

Afterwards, they were pressed tightly together on the bed, the room dark. A brawl from a pub down the street could be heard. It took all of Mathias' willpower to not fall asleep. He had to be back on Wind’s Redemption come daybreak. With a deep breath, he made a motion to sit up. The arm Flynn had flung around his middle moved away without protest, and Mathias half wished Flynn would try to get him to stay. Mathias swung his legs over the side of the bed and quickly found his pants. He dressed efficiently. He could feel Flynn’s eyes on him the whole time. 

“Where are you going?”

Flynn's voice cut through the silence of the night. Mathias strapped his daggers to his body as he answered.

“Stormwind.”

“How long will you be gone?”

The question halted Mathias’ moving through the room. Flynn had never asked that before. 

“I don’t know.”

Mathias tensed his muscles in preparation of the next question he thought would come, another question Flynn had never asked before, a question Mathias was both dreading and hoping for.

“Can I come with you?”

It felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders at the same time as a heavy stone had been placed on his chest; his hopes soared high by the mere thought of it, but he was also immediately brought down with the impossibility of it. Mathias cleared his throat.

“Flynn, I-”

“Just don’t say no.”

There was something happening here, and Mathias wasn’t sure what. It was like he was trying to keep up with a mounted rider when he was on foot and not managing to. 

Flynn was on his feet as well now, closing the distance between them. Flynn wrapped his arms around Mathias to hold him close, gently pushing their foreheads together. 

“Let me believe there is a chance, Mathias.”

Mathias drew in a deep breath, slightly shaky. 

“Maybe,” he finally said. “Maybe one day.” 

Flynn smiled, a stunning smile that Mathias definitely didn’t deserve. 

“Good,” Flynn said before he leaned in and kissed Mathias deeply. When they broke apart, Flynn let Mathias free to head for the door. Forcing his legs to move, Mathias took a step backwards before turning on his heel to face the exit. He reached for the door handle and pulled the door open. The cool outside air hit his face. 

“Don’t be a stranger.”

Mathias threw one last look over his shoulder at Flynn.

“I won’t.”

He took a step outside and the door closed behind him. Suddenly he was alone. He started making his way back to the harbour, trying not to think too much about what he was leaving in Boralus.


End file.
